Seconds To Midnight
by UsakoSerenity
Summary: Set during the R series diamond etc It's an alternate ending to the reason behind Mamoru's dream


Hi everyone. This was supposed to be a different story. But I was playing with the Lyrics from Matchbox Twenty's If Your Gone and somehow I got this. So I guess it inspired it. Well Enjoy!  
  
  
Seconds to Midnight 1/1  
By Usako  
Rated G  
  
For the third night in a row Mamoru paced his floor. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand; the bright red numbers read 11:59.  
'Seconds to midnight' he thought. Every night the same thing. It had been that way for weeks now. It wasn't until recently that Mamoru noticed the trend. Every night at exactly midnight he would fall asleep. At first he hadn't noticed it. Either he went to bed before midnight or he figured he fell asleep studying. He was used to that. It wasn't until Mamoru had fallen asleep at a stoplight and someone had to wake him up did he begin to worry. Only later did he connect it with the dream.   
A dream that destroyed his life. Most people would think it silly to listen to ones dreams, but he knew the true power they posses. It was a dream that lead him to his Usako. And though he was too young to realize it then, but he had many nightmares as a child of a car crash that foretold his parent's death. Now another dream of destruction. Of death. So he listened and pushed his one true love away.  
Mamoru heard a faint click, a sound barely audible unless you knew to listen for it, a sound he knew as well as her voice. He managed to a get a quick glance at the clock before descending into darkness.  
12:00 Midnight.  
  
*****  
Across town Usagi stirred in her sleep. Her brow furrowed in worry and slowly changed to fear. Her whimpers of fright woke the black cat beside her. Luna glanced at the clock. Midnight.  
"Usagi-chan" Luna whispered. "Wake up. You're having a bad dream"  
Unable to wake her Luna starts to get worried. Beside her Usagi starts to cry softly and cried out for Mamoru. Suddenly she wakes up. Tears still streaming down her cheeks she sat up in bed and cried.  
"Usagi-" Luna begins, but is silenced by the look she receives from Usagi. Without saying a word Usagi got her coat and climbed out of the window into the night.  
  
******  
  
Mamoru wakes to find himself lying on the floor, his face twisted in anguish, a sob escaping his lips. He didn't know why he let the dream bother him so much still. He should have been used to it by now. Even as a child he had always managed to push aside the dreams that tormented him. But these dreams were so real. Not only did he feel his fear, but hers as well. And the look she gave him before... 'it' happened. That look of despair, the loss of hope chilled him to he bone. Her eyes always asked him the same thing; 'Why? Why didn't you save me?'  
Suddenly Mamoru looked at the door. He didn't hear a knock but he knew someone was out there. She was out there.   
He got up and moved towards the door.  
"Mamochan, please let me in." he heard her say. He knew that he should send her home, but something in her voice made him open the door without a word.  
She stood in the doorway, her eyes red and puffy, and her hair disheveled from the wind. She was barefoot and her coat hung loosely over her pajamas. The y walked over to the couch in the living room and Mamoru handed her a blanket. She wrapped it around her shoulders and they sat on opposite ends of the couch in silence.  
Finally Usagi broke the silence.  
"I had a dream tonight Mamochan. In it you and I are getting married" she said. A sob caught in her throat. "But then something awful happened. The world bean to crumble around us and I looked to you for help. You couldn't save me. You blamed yourself for not being able to save me." She paused seeing the pain in his eyes. " Is that why you left me? Cause you couldn't save me in a dream? Why didn't you tell me?"  
"What did you expect me to do?" He replied angrily. "I'm sorry but the dreams told me to do it?"  
"It would have been better than nothing" she said.  
Mamoru got up and paced the floor angrily. He wasn't angry at her, just he whole situation. He was tired of having his life dictated by other forces.  
"How long?" she asked  
"How long what?" he snapped back.  
"How long have you been having these dreams?" she replied, flinching at the harshness of his voice.  
He sighed wearily. "Ever since that day..." he said leaving the rest unsaid.  
"And you would have chosen a dream over me?" she demanded.  
"I have to! Don't you see that? I don't like it anymore than you do, but I couldn't bear to see you suffer" he said frantically, hoping to make her understand.  
"The only person making me suffer is you" she said quietly.  
He opened his mouth to speak but Usagi stopped him.  
"So I'm giving you a choice Mamochan. I'll come back tomorrow before midnight and you can either choose to face the dreams with me by your side or you can choose to accept these dreams and truly push me away. Cause if you do I wont seek you out anymore. I will always love you but the way you are treating me is disrupting every aspect of my life. Other people depend on me too much. So think about this Mamochan. We both are going to have to live with your decision."  
"Usagi I-" Mamoru began.  
"No Mamochan, there is nothing more to say until tomorrow." She got up and turned to walk out the door. Hesitantly she turned back and stood in front of him. She looked into his eyes.   
"Just follow your heart Mamochan" she said placing her fingers on his chest, his heart beating into her fingers. " I only hope it will lead you back to me." She picked up her coat and walked out the door.  
Mamoru watched her leave stunned into silence. He could not shake the feeling that he was losing her and that truly scared him.  
  
******  
  
The next night Usagi came to Mamoru's apartment at a quarter till midnight. They sat together on the couch neither one saying a word at first.  
" Have you decided?" Usagi finally asked.  
"I have to explain something to you first before I tell you my answer" he said. "I have been having these dreams for over a month and every night it has been the same thing. I always felt so hopeless when I woke up, but somehow I managed to keep going. Until last night I didn't realize why that was." He took her hand in his own and Usagi looked at him with uncertainty.  
" You see, during all that time I never felt like I had truly lost you, even though I kept pushing you away. Last night after you left I could feel you leaving me and that was worse than the nightmares. Usako, I can't lose you even if I have to protect you from myself."  
Usagi couldn't stop the big grin from spreading across her face. She leapt into his arms and they kissed till they were both breathless.  
"Mamochan" Usagi murmured happily, snuggling into Mamoru's arms.   
"yes Usako?"  
"I'm so happy you choose me."  
""Me too"  
"Mamochan?"  
"Yes Usako"  
"Look at the clock."  
Mamoru shifted his body so he could turn to face the clock. The bright red numbers read ...  
12:01.  
  
THE END!  
Okay I hope y'all liked it. And if it would be too much trouble I would like some critical feedback on the ending. I'm not sure if I am happy with it. It took me forever to write just the ending from : "Usagi couldn't stop the big grin from..." on. Not much but it took me forever. So let me know if you think it is weak or great or needs work. I might just rewrite it anyway. Oh well. I hope everyone enjoyed and hopefully I'll be doing a lot more of this soon ^_~  
  



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